The sorry state of Carmelaram Station

I want to share a horrible experience I had yesterday at Carmelaram station.  A family member was coming from Kerala on the 12678 Ernakulam-SBC Intercity express.  For me, the best option to pick up a traveler from the point of view of convenience is Carmelaram Station.  The other option is Catonment which is a nightmarish drive into the city and back away.  Just like me, a huge number of people from the SE part of Bangalore use Carmelaram station to board and alight from this train.

Now, the SBC-Salem section is all single line which poses a huge problem.  In order for trains to pass each other, the only feasible place are the stations where there are two lines.  So the train which comes fairly on schedule upto Hosur can then find itself massively delayed in the crawl into Bangalore city.  There is another problem too.  Invariably, at Carmelaram, the train stops on platform no 2, so that anopther train going the other way can pick up passengers from PF 1.  PF 1 is in the middle of an upgrade which incudes  increasing height and length to an extent.  So right now it is a mud platform with a tiled edge which with the recent rains is slushy, has dangerous metal objects protruding and poorly lit,

PF 2 on which this train stopped requires passengers to descend the ladder to find terra firma.  The plight of some of thjose advanced in age and with heavy luggage is really sad.  Of course, if you are unlucky enough, you will land up in a coach located beyond the platform.  So you decend precariously onto stone jelly and shrubs beyond which the land falls of a little bit.

Now that the background is laid, what happened to me yesterday?  I went to the station at 6:45 pm for the expected 6:50 pm arrival.  Train had departed Hosur a mere 10 minutes or so late.  A short while later, the train pulled up 100 m short of the station and waited.  After a 45 minute wait, it honked and chugged into PF 2.  I had crossed over to the other side and in the pouring rain that had just started, located the 17th coach from the engine and my relative who is femlae and older with not so good knees.  She had the distinct pleasure of descending onto a bed of Jelly and narrow strip of earth.  We walked and climbed on to the low platform and waited, huddled under the umbrella I had carried.  After what another 5 minutes, a Diesel MEMU or whatever pulled into PF1.  Both trains departed.

Now we were faced with another dilemma ... how to cross and climb on to PF1.  No footbridge exists.  So we crossed the tracks only to realize that my relative will not be able to make the climb with her age and knees.  I made a step by clasping my hands together and she used that to climb on to the platform.  Then we trudged across the slushy, muddy PF 1 to the station building to exit, only to realize that it was not possible.  Every square inch of space inside the building was occupied by passengers (incoming and outgoing) who did not want to step out into the rain.  Somehow, like trying to do darshan at one of our many crowded religious places, we managed to exit the building and made a wet, tired trek to the car and drive back home.

Is this the state of affairs at a station which is well within Bangalore city.  With modern machinery and a proper contract, I can get those platforms upgraded in couple of months.  This work has been going on from when I had my old phone... well more than a year. And all they are upgrading is PF 1.  RM Sadanada Gowda and his predecessors such as Kharge must be ashamed as well as SWR. Improved platforms, a foot overbridge and better ameneties at Carmelaram are essential.  They should also quickly double the track of the BLR-HSR line till Hosur and maybe even electrify at least to avoid the interminable delays.  It will also help in running better passenger rail service.  The passenger trains I saw were reasonably well occupied.

Carmelaram also has the potential to serve the Wipro campus and other IT offices comin in the area on Sarjapur road.